Why Bodybuilders Need to Take Vitamin D
Why Bodybuilders Need to Take Vitamin D
Six Big Reasons to Add it to Your Stack
1) Vitamin D Promotes Muscle Function
Vitamin D is synthesized in the body in a reaction involving sunlight. Vitamin D can also be consumed in the diet by eating fatty fish, mushrooms and supplements. Several recent studies have linked low vitamin D levels to poor bone health, muscle weakness and deficiencies in reproductive hormones. However, the only health claims allowed by government agencies in the United States, Europe and Canada for vitamin D include reducing the risk of osteoporosis, preventing inflammation and promoting normal muscle function. A review of literature by Rachele Pojednic and Lisa Ceglia from Tufts University in Boston reported that lower blood levels of vitamin D were linked to lower aerobic capacity and higher body mass index. Vitamin D activates genes and cell-signaling chemicals that are critical for muscle hypertrophy, strength and improved muscle performance. In older adults, maintaining adequate vitamin D levels might contribute to fewer falls. (Exercise Sports Science Reviews, 42: 76-81, 2014)
2) High Vitamin D and Calcium Intake Kills Fat Cells
Cells have a finite life span that is characterized by cell growth and death (apoptosis). Obesity researchers are investigating ways of terminating fat cell life as a way of reducing body fat. Researchers from South Dakota State University, in a study on mice, found that animals fed diets high in vitamin D and calcium showed decreased body fat, increased blood vitamin D, improved blood sugar regulation and enhanced markers of fat metabolism. Fat reduction was achieved by increasing fat cell apoptosis. Increasing intake of vitamin D and calcium could promote fat management through cell death, but the long-term safety is unknown. (Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, 58: 1342-1348, 2014)
3) Vitamin D Deficiency Is Linked to Low Fitness Levels and Obesity
Vitamin D is synthesized in the body in a reaction involving sunlight. Vitamin D can also be consumed in the diet by eating fatty fish, mushrooms and supplements. Several recent studies have linked low vitamin D levels to poor bone health, muscle weakness and deficiencies in reproductive hormones. However, the only health claims allowed by government agencies in the United States, Europe and Canada for vitamin D include reducing the risk of osteoporosis, preventing inflammation and promoting normal muscle function. Laura Forney from Louisiana State University and colleagues found that lower blood levels of vitamin D were linked to lower aerobic capacity and higher body mass index in college students. Half of the students were vitamin D deficient, with blood levels below 250 HD. The results could be due to reduced physical activity levels in vitamin D-deficient students— they didn't exercise in the sun much. On the other hand, low vitamin D levels might impair athletic performance. (Journal Strength Conditioning Research, 28: 814-824, 2014)
4) Vitamin D Promotes Testosterone Production
Vitamin D is produced in the skin in a reaction involving cholesterol and sunlight. It is also consumed in the diet. It is important for bone health but it might also help prevent some kinds of cancer, cardiovascular disease, depression and dementia. Austrian scientists found that vitamin D is also important for testosterone synthesis in testicular cells in the laboratory. They isolated tissue from human testes and added vitamin D in combination with luteinizing hormone and IGF-1, both of which stimulate testosterone production. The addition of vitamin D enhanced testosterone formation. It is not known whether these results apply to supplemental vitamin D in living people. (Journal of Clinical Endocrinology Metabolism, 99: 3766-3773, 2014)
5) Do Vitamin D Supplements Benefit Athletes?
Several recent studies have linked low vitamin D levels to poor bone health, muscle weakness and deficiencies in reproductive hormones. A review of literature by Pamela von Hurst and Kathryn Beck from Massey University in New Zealand reported that lower blood levels of vitamin D were linked to lower aerobic capacity and higher body mass index. Vitamin D activates genes and cell-signaling chemicals that are critical for muscle hypertrophy, strength and improved muscle performance. In older adults, maintaining adequate vitamin D levels might contribute to improved muscle mass and physical performance. We need more studies on the importance of vitamin D in athletes and the possible benefits of supplementation. (Current Opinion Clinical Nutrition Metabolic Care, published online August 23, 2014)
6) Prostate Enlargement Is Linked to Vitamin D Deficiency
Prostate enlargement is extremely common in men as they age, occurring in 50 percent of men over 50 and 80 percent of men over 80. Symptoms include incontinence (involuntary urine loss), frequent urination, straining to urinate, strong and sudden urge to urinate, and incomplete emptying of the bladder. A review of literature led by Geovanni Espinosa from the New York University School of Medicine concluded that vitamin D deficiency was linked to prostate enlargement. Increasing vitamin D intake in the diet or with supplements would decrease the risk of the problem. Vitamin D supplements have no side effects and can help prevent this common problem in aging men. (Canadian Journal of Urology, 20: 6820-6825, 2013)